From Polystylism to Meta-Pluralism: Essays on Late Soviet Symphonic Music

Abstract

Seven years have passed since I defended my PhD dissertation on Alfred Schnittke’s symphonies in the context of late Soviet music. During this period, I disseminated my findings in a number of journal articles, book chapters and conference papers, where I mostly focused on various facets of Alfred Schnittke’s oeuvre. In this monograph I wish to offer a broader context and to discuss Schnittke’s achievements alongside those of his Soviet contemporaries. Although the largest portion of the material in this book is published for the first time, the text has benefited immensely from the many collegial exchanges during the past seven years, which have helped me to rethink and revise my conclusions. I am greatly indebted to a number of my teachers, coworkers and friends who have assisted me during the various stages of preparation of this book. Some of them have influenced and inspired my thinking on late Soviet music, while others have assisted me in obtaining musical scores, as well as a range of primary and secondary sources, or been there to offer friendly and professional support. My heartfelt thanks go to: Tamsin Alexander, Philip Ross Bullock, Barry Cooper, Gavin Dixon, Pauline Fairclough, David Fallows, David Fanning, Amrei Flechsig, Marina Frolova-Walker, James Garratt, Jane Gottlieb, Srđan Hofman, Katerina Levidou, Sonja Marinković, Melita Milin, Ivan Moody, Danica Petrović, Leslie Ruthven, Peter J. Schmelz, Dimitrije Stefanović, Christian Storch, Danijela Špirić-Beard, Miodrag Šuvaković, Richard Taruskin, Katarina Tomašević, Mirjana Veselinović-Hofman, Arnold Whittall, Stephen Wilford and Patrick Zuk. Two of my guiding lights, Alexander Ivashkin and Noëlle Mann are no longer among us, but memories will live forever. My twin sister and fellow musicologist Jelena Janković-Beguš has read my text at various stages of gestation, and the book has benefited greatly from her sharp eye and critical acumen. I would like to thank the extraordinary artist, photographer, film producer and musician Svetlana Bakushina, who has kindly allowed me to use her artwork – the poster for the 2003 Russian premiere of Schnittke’s opera Zhizn s idiotom [Life with an Idiot] directed by Henryk Baranowski at the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre – for the cover of this book. Finally, I am deeply grateful to my husband Dejan and son Bojan for their endless patience and warm encouragement.